ONCE UPON A REWATCH S4EP04: THE APPRENTICE is now available!

In which the Narrators Three discuss: What’s in the Booooox?, The Evil Hand/Murder Toupee Trope, Tony’s vs Granny’s, Support Your Local Library, Quality Visual Storytelling, Mission Impossible Mouse, Sondheim Musicals, and Alexa play “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit for Killian

Listen to Once Upon a Rewatch: Spotify | Apple Music | Stitcher | Google Podcast | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | Breaker |

I call Merlin “the sexiest and most depressed grandpa in all the realms” and I mean every word of it.

I mean right before we head to Camelot, what happens? His apprentice, the man who has known him for five hundred years and he trained as a small boy, has just died. The absolute last person who knew him from before his time as a tree, and one of the only people he could actually talk to for centuries was gone. Killed by the Darkness—a line of Dark Ones started by his love, Nimue.

Not to mention over the last few years he’s had to watch Arthur, his great hope, a boy he considered close to a son, go down a very dark path.

He still wants to help the heroes, clearly. And I don’t think he was actively suicidal, but I do think the weight of all his years, of all the death he’s seen, is seriously weighing him down. By the time Emma frees him he really just wants this to all be over already.

70/365 days of regina mills

ONCE UPON A TIME 4.04, The Apprentice

when you realize the rose that killian gave emma didn't have any thorns and that a thornless rose represents love at first sight 😭🌹🏴‍☠️🦢

once upon a time is fun because all these ancient fairytales literally happened 30 years ago. snow white? yeah she was doing all that about 30 years ago. hercules? fought cerberus around 1970. king arthur pulled excalibur from the stone AFTER the release of disney’s the sword in the stone. mulan saved china (china? magic china? unclear actually) about 35 years ago. and it slaps and makes total sense don’t even worry about it

Masterlist & What I Write For

I currently write for;

Harry Potter

Avatar

Once Upon A Time

Percy Jackson

DSMP

The Spooks

Lockwood & Co.

The Vampire Diaries

Short stories based of songs

random/requested oc's

The Sandman

The Hunger Games

Arctic Monkeys

random stories with absolutely no plot what so ever

Miguel O'hara

Marvel

She-Ra (SPOP)

Pet Peeve: I am tired of Goethe not being credited with The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The moment anyone hears that title they immediately think of Mickey Mouse.You probably know that famous Mickey Mouse short from Fantasia where Mickey puts on the sorcerer's cap and makes the brooms do the work for him but they go out of control. When he tries to smash the enchanted brooms they multiply and it becomes chaotic. Well, the music in that animated segment and the plot of that story were both inspired by the poem The Sorcerer's apprentice by Johann Von Goethe, the author of Faust. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorcerer%27s_Apprentice The poem is about a sorcerer's apprentice who does precisely as Mickey does in the animated segment. 

And yet none of the Disney-tie-in story books or even the live action Sorcerer's Apprentice movie starring Nicolas Cage (which has the broom sequence) none of them credit Goethe.   I tried to argue with IMDB that Goethe should be credited as the source of the plot of Sorcerer's apprentice as the 2010 film credits inspiration from the animated short and the animated short credits Goethe, but for some reason they wouldn't accept it. To me it's as bad as not giving Mary Shelley credit for The Frankenstein monster just because you're using the story very loosely. The entire plot of the Sorcerer's Apprentice short story was by Goethe, not Walt Disney. The irony is if you watch Fantasia, Walt Disney, himself, introduces the segment by mentioning Goethe's poem.   Walt Disney was a big Goethe fan.  Parts of the Night on Bald Mountain short and most of Walt Disney's medieval German village imagery in his animation came from the 1926 silent film adaptation of Faust. But after Fantasia, when Walt Disney credited Goethe, it's like the Disney Corporation consciously decided to forget that the plot of the story was from an eighteenth century poem and Goethe hasn't been credited for it since.Disney went out of their way to let people mistakenly think The Sorcerer's Apprentice was somehow an original idea created for Mickey Mouse.When people think of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" now they think of Mickey Mouse in a wizard hat.  And they don't realize it's a nearly three-hundred-year-old poem.  And it's a shame. I happen to love Goethe. End of rant.

Regina will always be Rumple’s favorite student ❤️❤️❤️🔥

OUAT Thoughts Pt.34--Episodes 4-5

I have watched through S4E5; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—How can anybody keep a straight face about that funky lil hat? If Rumple ever actually wears it I will no longer be able to take him seriously.

—The Sorcerer’s Apprentice got turned into a mouse I CANT EVEN

—Are we never actually going to see the Sorcerer? If he could create a hat this powerful, he must be something else.

—I love that Rumple enchanted a broom to do the thing! Sorcerer’s Apprentice is hands-down one of my favorite Disney cartoons, so any reference to its iconic bits delight me.

—How can nobody see the Snow Queen’s castle? It’s an ice palace! IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST! And a thing like that has got to generate some kind of supercool temperatures around it, so it should be pretty obvious when anybody gets close to it.

—The Snow Queen’s weird obsession with mirrors is an interesting nod back to the original Snow Queen story. Which, in itself, has some pretty solid themes.

—That backstory stuff with Emma and her buddy Lilith is fruity as heck.

—So the Snow Queen was Emma’s foster mom? Oh, the intrigue! The question still remains: did she know who Emma was at the time? It seems almost impossible for it to be that big of a coincidence.

—I enjoy a bit of leg as much as the next person, but Elsa needs some new clothes. Her dress simply isn’t practical in Storybrooke. But she could keep the sparkly purple cape, I wouldn’t mind.

—On the other hand, it kinda makes me sad that Hook is out of his pirate clothes. Those are mostly practical, and they’re quite dashing.

—I can’t believe Will Scarlett is actually of some narrative significance. I’ve watched the Disney Robin Hood where they’re all animals, and I’m not sure he was even in that one; I’ve also watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, in which he happens to be one of the main draws for me. His part in the story seems to be largely variable. The Wonderland stuff has some potential; the drawing he tore out of the book was, I think, of the Red Queen? Which might have cool implications if he’s actually from Wonderland, given his last name.

—If Hook ever risks his relationship with Emma to take Rumple down, I’m gonna mad. Mostly because I am now ride-or-die for CaptainSwan, but also because if Rumple’s marriage falls apart I will cry.

—Emma’s date-night dress was gorgeous. I love Elsa being confused about how little of it there was, compared to Arendellian fashion—but then again, has she looked in a mirror lately?

—Snow and Charming mother-henning about Emma’s date with Hook was adorable. I love when the Charmings get to have normal domestic moments like that.

—We’ve seen how much Hook cares for Emma—he traded the Jolly Roger to help her, for Pete’s sake! (Which is peak romance if you happen to be dating a pirate captain.) Having Emma show him some of her childhood keepsakes was a good way to balance out their relationship and show that she trusts him and cares for him too.

—It’s not such a big deal that Will escaped and got pardoned, considering he was in jail for a pretty minor offense and was apparently being kept there for longer than he should have been.

—I kinda wish the other Snow Queen had a hair color other than blonde. It’s a classic, but it might’ve been more interesting to give her dark or ginger hair. Heck, maybe even just straight white would’ve been cool. Or pale blue. Or light purple. Her dress is pretty, though.

—Regina and Emma being grudging frenemies is amusing. I love how salty they are around each other.

—I’m not sure how I feel about the turn Henry’s taken. Snooping around Rumple’s store is one thing; using the ‘connection to Baelfire’ card to manipulate his way into a job there is another. He’s definitely Regina’s kid.

—Elsa’s story kills me, especially in Frozen 2 (I cry at Show Yourself every frickin time) but this version hits a bit harder. Her parents actively searched for something to change her so she would be “normal.” It’s kinda the next logical step for them, seeing as they were pretty crappy parents in Frozen to begin with, but it’s so much worse. Good golly.

I never really post wishlist stuff so here, under the cut, is a long list of my muses with vague ideas for wishlists with them. DM me if you're interested in any of them. ALL of these (and all my muses tbh) are open to shipping like let's go.

Nesta - accepting eris' offer :)! Robb - making it to king's landing and winning the war, liberating the North, and getting Sansa back to safety, then having to head out and find Arya. Violet - anything in her marvel or ouat verses tbh I spent a lot of time on those Shelley - taking over the Victory Project after killing Frank. Max - coming back after that summer for the start of college, much to everyone's surprise and keeping his escapades close to the chest (idk the timeline of that show it was a fucking mess lmao) Heather - surviving pls dear goD Denny - surviving pls DEAR GOD Mark, Amanda, Lawrence, Logan - I want to write more about their dynamics with each other (these are just the four I write) as apprentices to John. We only briefly get Mark and Amanda interacting - gimme more. Bruce - let's throw out the entire mcu because it's fucking trash for him thanks. Brunnhilde - More of her relationship with Carol :( Kamala - Building of the young avengers lets GOOO Loki - anything :( Satoshi / Krad - I was always, always interested in the idea of the seal not working/lasting on the portrait and years later, Satoshi and Daisuke being re-possessed by Krad and Dark and having to deal with that as young adults, likely college aged. Too young for it to have passed onto their child, but too old to be able to use the same excuses of the past. Sid - I am fuLLY CONVINCED SID IS THE FATHER AND JESSE IS A RED HERRING (I already have this going I just wish more people cared about HIMYF) Brian - Going to NY and seeing Justin again. :)! Snow White - anything :( Charming - I have about 90420934902 aus for him honestly. I have so many ideas for this stupid idiot. Neal - surviVING AND COPARENTING WITH EMMA AND REGINA SHIPS DON'T FUCKING MEAN YOU HAVE TO KILL A GOOD CHARACTER WHO LITERALLY WAS THE REASON RUMPLESTILTSKIN MANIPULATED REGINA INTO CASTING THE FUCKING CURSE MY GOD THIS SHOW PISSES ME OFF anyways Davy Jones - returning after the 'curse' is lifted from Will Turner, because someone must always be there to ferry the souls to the other side Ben Solo - ANYTHING :( Jyn - her and Cassian getting evacuated just before the explosion and surviving, assisting the Rebellion. Finn - training as a jedi (either trilogy re-write or post trilogy) Jar Jar - i s2g if someone doesn't write with Sith Jar Jar... Anakin and Padme - either an au where she convinces him to run away with her and leave everything behind and raise their children on Naboo before Obi Wan shows up and he believes her when she says she didn't know he was there and they enlist his help in staging their deaths OR an au where he convinces her to join him on his path to the dark side. (i write both so I'll write either) Carolyn - escaping the dark planet after surviving the stabbing, living off of the creatures that would be her demise, fixing a ship in the darkness, built by lights she manages to fix throughout the rubble, and fires made along the way. finding other riddick characters / riddick himself Coriolanus Snow - Exploring more of his additions to the games and how he helped to curate them to be the spectacle they became. Annie - Not having anyone to volunteer for her so having to go through the Quarter Quell with Finnick (Hi I love PAIN). Not escaping the Arena and being taken back to the Capitol. Madge - Watching the Games with Katniss' family and thus being there when the blackouts happen and escaping District 12 with Gale and everyone else to District 13. Kili - surviving PLS Renesmee Carlie - more of her dynamic growing up in a town that's definitely got an attraction for the supernatural. Bella - not taking Edward back immediately, actually being pissed that he lied like what a dick Sam - imprinting on LEAH jfC WHAT A WASTE (or better yet, Leah being the first wolf to change and imprinting on HIM thanks) Garrett - torn between natural instincts, love for Kate, and never letting himself be tested by a challenge, learning how to survive and satiate on animal blood vs. human blood

OUAT Rewatch 4x04 - The Apprentice

So here we are, Captain. Still in business together. I think you and I are gonna have some fun.

emma/charming appreciation week day two: favourite scene (4x04 the apprentice)

ONCE UPON A TIME 4.04, The Apprentice

Okay but for real there's absoltuely no way Killian would've known about the societal custom of a guy letting his gf borrow his jacket. Like we hype it up in the media and see it everywhere and think "ah yes that's what boyfriends do," but there's no reason why Killian would've known that.

And since we know he wasn't trying to fulfill societal norms, that means that, on their first date, Killian let Emma wear his jacket solely because she looked cold and he wanted to keep her warm and I think that's very sweet.

Self-fulfilling prophecies, or: I think Rumple and Blue messed up big time, folks

Disclaimer: I am a comparatively recent OUAT fan, so while smarter people probably thought this through before I even watched the show, I have never seen it happen and thus can't know if I'm stating the obvious. Please bear with me, this is going to be a long post.

So prophecies! OUAT has a lot of those. There is an entire wiki section about them, and most of the early ones are offered to us by Rumpelstiltskin, because as we know, he gained the power of foresight from the Seer. But what exactly did said Seer tell Rumple, when she relinquished her power to him?

What we gather from the (cryptic) explanations that we get is that with foresight, you can see all the ways the future might untangle, and practising+physically approaching the time of the events make you able to discern which of those paths will ultimately be the right one. Bae's destiny after the Seer's first on-screen prophecy proves that while the future is highly dependent on people's actions, they cannot forcefully steer it in the direction they want - Rumple thought he could avoid losing his son by crippling himself, but in doing so he followed EXACTLY the road that had been paved for him.

We don't know, however, what would have happened if he hadn't spoken to the Seer. SHE knew, presumably, that by drawing him close she would put the doubt in his mind, but it's unclear whether he would have still left his son fatherless by dying on the battlefield or something entirely different would have happened. We don't know - and Rumple doesn't, either.

Here's the catch, though: everything he does in the first few seasons follows the same pattern of that night in the army, blindly assuming that it makes a difference. He micromanages every main character's life because he sees them as pieces of the bridge he HAS to build to reach Bae. He doesn't account for things going wrong because he thinks they can't, and he's fucking EVERYWHERE anyway, so nothing can slip out of his fingers.

But what if THAT is what actually cements this timeline as the "definitive" one? The Seer told him he would find his son again, he could have simply bid his time and waited knowing this would be the result anyway. When his first apprentice disappoints him as the curse-caster, Regina and her grudges still happen, after all. He probably didn't need to do anything to ensure it - if he'd just leaned back and spun his little wheel, the future would have come around on its own, one way or another. But he doesn't, and instead sets in motion a very specific chain of events, and thus the show happens.

Why would he do that? Maybe he didn't learn how to parse through his visions correctly and he thinks this is a "will be" future and not a "can be" one. Maybe that first prophecy didn't teach him anything, and he still thinks he can cheat destiny (as proven by the fact that when learning that a boy will be his undoing, he refuses to accept it, believing he can just kill said boy before it happens). Maybe he thinks he's like MCU Doctor Strange, who sees thousands of possible outcomes and makes sure the one that leads him to Bae the quickest will happen. I have no clue. But what I think has happened is that for any of these reasons, he made this destiny happen by KNOWING it would happen (or believing it would, as you'd have it), thus fulfilling the prophecy by willingly acting on it.

So Rumple fucked himself over, big deal. We have seen it happen multiple times after s3. But you know who else might have unknowingly led the future where she thought it'd go, in this endless loop we have just described?

At this point in the story we don't really have proof of whether Blue has prophetic powers of her own or she's just going off Rumple's words, but it does seem to me that the way she's telling the story has a bit more nuance than his version did during the Charmings' visit to the cell. So either she went back to pry further, from a man that she generally does NOT trust...or somehow, she's autonomously privy to details most of the others don't have.

But what does she DO with that knowledge? Does she work with what she has to guarantee Emma will fulfil her destiny? Does she trace very clear boundaries for everyone to stay within to adhere to her plan? No. She lets Geppetto convince her to lie. She allows him to risk jeopardizing the safety of an ENTIRE kingdom in the span of five minutes, which makes no fucking sense considering she has never shied away from weaponizing her influence for the sake of what she thinks is the greater good (which in turn is what made people think she was the villain all along, but I digress).

Moreover, some of my friends once had a discussion that, everything else aside, made me realize how fucking dumb it was of Blue to just LEAVE when Geppetto had threatened to do as he pleased with the wardrobe. What kinda preparations did she have to do, literal HOURS before a curse where she would lose all her free will and magic anyway? It was pointless at best, detrimental at worst, and the way I see it, PREMEDITATED to begin with, because while I utterly despise Blue and would have no problem calling her an idiot, this would objectively be a bad move. She could have literally lied to Geppetto about what kind of person could go in the wardrobe, or used magic to prevent the worst from happening. She has done similar things, before AND after that moment.

If she indeed knew, either because of Rumple or her own abilities, how shit was "meant" to go down, it's not too far-fetched to assume she might have acted accordingly in an attempt to guarantee the success of this plan. Even if there had been other possible paths to take, e.g. worlds where Emma might have gone to the LWM with either of her parents, and EVEN IF Rumple hadn't already prevented those variables from happening by that point...if Blue thought the only way for it to work was to stick to the timeline she had envisioned, then there was nothing anyone else could do.

To sum up this theory: Rumple sees the chain of events that develops through show canon, and either decides or mistakenly believes it will be made true, putting all his effort into ensuring it does. Blue makes the same mistake (depending on how you see it, obviously) and instead of forcing people's hands to change the course, allows Geppetto to make what she thinks is an unavoidable decision. By doing so, BOTH of them fulfil what they think is an already written future, but might have still only been one of the various options available among endless variables.

Besides, if they HAD realized that they'd fucked up in hindsight, I doubt they would have admitted to it. It would have been too late by then: knowing them, they would have felt forced to stick to their guns, to avoid considering the possibility to have made a mistake - ESPECIALLY Blue, who was already responsible for the start of this avalanche, what with giving Bae the bean and suggesting the curse to Rumple. It's hard to believe they would have been able to live with themselves, if they'd taken the option into account.

And in the end, what are the results of this proactive decision? Rumple and Bae's reunion is angry, unsatisfying and with catastrophic consequences for the whole family. Emma grows up alone, forced into a destiny she did not sign up for, having been ten minutes old at best. And as for the third victim of prophetic crimes...

Without these beliefs, solid or imaginary that they might be, there is a chance nothing would have gone as we know: the 28 years gap might have meant something else entirely, a lot of people would have been spared the pain, and an external hand would have prevented Pinocchio from being sent on an impossible mission, with a baby and no tools to navigate this world in his hands. Another child lost to the Land Without Magic as a pawn in a game played by two magic users who each thought they were outwitting the other - at least Emma got to grow and heal throughout the show, as an ADULT.

Did Pinocchio?

(OOF. This is almost certainly not what the writers had in mind when they planned the plot of this series. I am, unfortunately, aware of that. But I still think it's worth being put into words as a theory - I probably didn't formulate it as coherently as I hoped, but maybe the message will still filter through, despite the fact that I am 1) overtly verbose 2) tragically Italian. Unforgivable sins, both of them LMAO)